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Press Advisory: (1) EPA Recognizes 13 Leaders for Pesticide Stewardship; (2) Minnesota Auto Shop Owner Pleads Guilty in Discharge Case; (3) Fourth Defendant Charged in Minnesota Plating Case; (4) Compliance Assistance Centers Survey Their UsersPress Advisory - EPA's latest developments Following are some Agency developments which may interest you. If you need more information on any of these subjects, call the appropriate contact. (1) EPA Recognizes 13 Leaders for Pesticide Stewardship (2) Minnesota Auto Shop Owner Pleads Guilty in Discharge Case (3) Fourth Defendant Charged in Minnesota Plating Case (4) Compliance Assistance Centers Survey Their Users (1) EPA Recognizes 13 Leaders for Pesticide Stewardship Enesta P. Jones 202-564-7873 / jones.enesta@epa.gov EPA is recognizing 13 members of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP) for their outstanding efforts in pollution prevention and pesticide risk reduction. The 2004 "PESP Champions" used most or all of the following integrated pest management (IPM) strategies to reduce the human health and environmental risks associated with pesticide use: (1) sampling to accurately determine pest population levels, (2) training and demonstrating IPM practices, (3) employing cultural practices such as crop rotation or removing food and habitat for structural pests, (4) controlling or managing pests through biologically based technologies, (5) applying less toxic or reduced-risk pesticides such as insect growth regulators, and (6) using conventional pesticides only when absolutely necessary. The 2004 "PESP Champions" are Almond Board of California, Modesto, Calif.; Aquila, Pueblo, Colo.; Artichoke Research Association, Salinas, Calif.; Central Coast Vineyard Team, Templeton, Calif.; Fischer Environmental Services Inc., Mandeville, La.; Gerber Products Company, Fremont, Mich.; Glades Crop Care Inc., Jupiter, Fla.; International Cut Flower Growers Association, Haslett, Mich.; IPM Institute of North America Inc., Madison, Wis.; Lodi-Woodbridge Wine Grape Commission, Lodi, Calif.; New York Power Authority, New York, N.Y.; U.S. Department of Defense, Washington, D.C.; and U.S. Hop Industry Plant Protection Committee, Moxee, Wash. Established in 1994, PESP is a voluntary program that forges partnerships with pesticide users to implement pollution-prevention strategies and reduce the health and environmental risks associated with pesticide use. PESP began with 16 charter members and now has 147 members. More information on the accomplishments of the 2004 PESP Champions is available at: http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/PESP/ . Weekly Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Wrap-Up Contact: Rich Hood 202-564-4355 / hood.rich@epa.gov (2) Minnesota Auto Shop Owner Pleads Guilty in Discharge Case Robert Steinmetz of Prior Lake, Minn., pleaded guilty on Sept. 7 in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in Minneapolis of violating the Clean Water Act (CWA). Steinmetz is the former owner of Riverwood Auto, an auto repair firm, and Diamondback Bedliner, an applicator of automotive bedliner coatings. Both businesses are located in Bloomington, Minn. Steinmetz violated the CWA in November 2003, by knowingly discharging wastewater containing petroleum-based chemicals into a storm sewer that connects with the Minnesota River. Discharging petroleum-based chemicals into storm sewers can create a fire hazard and can harm fish and wildlife in areas where the sewer connects to surface waters. The case was investigated by the Minneapolis Office of EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and the Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minneapolis. (3) Fourth Defendant Charged in Minnesota Plating Case James K. Meissner, a former employee of Prime Plating of Maple Grove, Minn., was charged on Sept. 2 in U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in Minneapolis with conspiracy to violate the Clean Water Act (CWA). Previously, Prime Plating, Scott Hanson, Prime Plating's Owner; and two other individuals, Sam Opare-Addo and Arlynn Hanson were also charged with CWA violations in this case. Prime plating is in the metal finishing business. The charges allege that the conspiracy took place in June and July of 2003, when the defendants allegedly conspired to discharge industrial wastewater from the Prime Plating facility in order to allow the business to continue operations even thought it did not have a functioning pre-treatment system for its waste as required by the Metropolitan Council. The defendants allegedly discharged untreated wastewater directly into sewers using pumps and garden hoses. In addition, Prime Plating, Hanson and Opare-Addo allegedly conspired to hide the illegal discharges from state and federal regulators. Discharging plating wastes into sewers can prevent the proper treatment of sewage at sewage treatment facilities. The case was investigated by the Minneapolis Office of EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, the FBI, the Metropolitan Council's Environmental Service Division for the St. Paul/Minneapolis Area and the Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services with the assistance of EPA's National Enforcement Investigations Center and the City of Bloomington, Minnesota's Fire Department, Police Department and Emergency Response Division. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minneapolis. (4) Compliance Assistance Centers Survey Their Users The Environmental Protection Agency has sponsored partnerships with industry, academic institutions, environmental groups, and other agencies to launch 13 sector-specific Compliance Assistance Centers. Each EPA-funded Center addresses real world issues in language that is used by the regulated entities. Through Internet websites, telephone assistance lines, fax-back systems and e-mail discussion groups, the Centers aim to help businesses, local governments, and federal facilities understand federal environmental requirements and save money through pollution prevention techniques. Once a year, the Centers survey their users -- even first-time visitors -- on how well they are meeting that goal. The results of the surveys help the Centers provide resources for environmental compliance. Please click on the Center sites at: http://www.assistancecenters.net and take a short survey. Surveys should not take more than three minutes to complete. The Centers are offering incentives to respond to the survey. The Centers' surveys are also accessible at: http://www.assistancecenters.net/2004survey . R170 ### Release date:09/15/2004 Receive our News Releases Automatically by Email
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